Loot boxes game. The Belgian minister of justice, Koen Geens (pictured), announced the result of an investigation that the country’s Gaming Commission conducted into video game “loot boxes”, a mechanic that lets players pay real money for a chance at winning virtual items.
Belgium’s Gaming Commission has decided that ‘loot box’ mechanics in three popular video games encourage children to gamble because they are also a form of gambling.
Loot boxes exist because video-game development on a large scale is an increasingly expensive business. The development costs of blockbuster-style games have increased tenfold in 10 years but not the price in a new released game, it keeps costing £50-£60, as 15 years ago.
So, video game publishers have to make it by any possible way, reason why exists the DLC (downloadable content) which offers virtual cosmetic items to customize a character, new story chapters to play through, or extra maps to battle upon – all optional. And players accept to pay around £10 to £30 for those extras. READ SO: VIDEO GAMES BEING JUDGED AS GAMBLING PRODUCTS
But with a loot box, you pay for a chance to obtain a virtual item – usually with real money. It’s a slot-machine style system where, although you’re guaranteed to get something on every spin, the chance of getting what you actually want is vastly reduced.
This process works on the same part of the brain as any game of chance; the dopamine hit is enjoyable, but potentially addictive, and hard to resist.
Reason why The Belgian report found several issues with loot boxes:
- The rewards are uncertain: causing an emotional reaction
- Players can be lied into believing: the actual chance of receiving particular items is often hidden from the player.
- The exposure of these chance mechanics to children was a particular concern.
“Mixing games and gambling, especially at a young age, is dangerous for mental health. We must ensure that children and adults are not presented with games of chance when they are looking for fun in a video game.” said Geens
